U.S. patent number 9,297,268 [Application Number 13/605,237] was granted by the patent office on 2016-03-29 for fan blade platform flap seal.
This patent grant is currently assigned to UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION. The grantee listed for this patent is Andrew G. Alarcon. Invention is credited to Andrew G. Alarcon.
United States Patent |
9,297,268 |
Alarcon |
March 29, 2016 |
Fan blade platform flap seal
Abstract
A seal for sealing a gap between adjacent first and second
components, includes a first portion for attaching to the first
component and a second portion extending at an angle from the first
portion, the second portion having a top extending therealong that
is flat in an uninstalled position, a thickened portion beneath the
top and a hinge wherein the thickened portion is disposed between
the hinge and an end of the top.
Inventors: |
Alarcon; Andrew G. (Manchester,
CT) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Alarcon; Andrew G. |
Manchester |
CT |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
(Hartford, CT)
|
Family
ID: |
50187854 |
Appl.
No.: |
13/605,237 |
Filed: |
September 6, 2012 |
Prior Publication Data
|
|
|
|
Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20140064935 A1 |
Mar 6, 2014 |
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F04D
29/329 (20130101); F04D 29/321 (20130101); F01D
11/008 (20130101); F04D 29/083 (20130101); F16J
15/104 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
F01D
11/00 (20060101); F04D 29/32 (20060101); F16J
15/10 (20060101); F04D 29/08 (20060101) |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Edgar; Richard
Assistant Examiner: Flores; Juan G
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Carlson, Gaskey & Olds P.C.
Claims
The invention claimed is:
1. A seal for sealing a gap between adjacent first and second
components that form a ring, said seal comprising: a first portion
for attaching to said first component, wherein said first portion
has a curved portion for bending around a joint or bend of said
first component; and a second portion extending at an angle from
said first portion, said second portion having a top extending
therealong that is flat in an uninstalled position, a thickened
portion beneath said top, and a hinge, wherein said thickened
portion is disposed between said hinge and an end of said top.
2. The seal of claim 1 wherein said seal has an installed position
wherein said second portion rotates about said hinge for engaging
said second component.
3. The seal of claim 1 wherein said angle is less than
approximately 90.degree..
4. The seal of claim 1 wherein a flat portion connects said curved
portion and said top.
5. The seal of claim 1 further comprising a transition area
connecting said thickened area and said first portion, said
transition area defining said hinge.
6. The seal of claim 1 wherein said second portion bends about said
hinge thereby having an first part for engaging said second
component and a second part for extending toward said gap.
7. The seal of claim 6 wherein said first part moves radially
outwardly during rotation of said components.
8. The seal of claim 1 wherein said first component is a spacer and
said second component is a fan blade.
9. A method for sealing gaps between a spacer and a blade that at
least partially form a ring, said method comprising: providing a
seal having a first portion for attaching to said spacer, a second
portion extending at an angle from said first portion, said second
portion having a top extending therealong that is flat in an
uninstalled position, a thickened portion beneath said top and a
hinge wherein said thickened portion is disposed between said hinge
and an end of said top; attaching said first portion of said seal
to said spacer, wherein said attaching step includes attaching a
curved portion of said first portion around a joint or bend of said
spacer; bending said second portion about said hinge; and sliding
said spacer along said blade such that said second portion abuts
said blade and said second portion faces said gap.
10. The method of claim 9 wherein said bending step includes
bending a transition area connecting said thickened area and said
first portion, said transition area defining said hinge.
11. The method of claim 9 wherein said bending step includes
bending said second portion into a first part engaging said blade
and a second part facing toward said gap.
12. The method of claim 11 further comprising moving said first
part radially outwardly during rotation of said blade and
spacer.
13. An assembly for sealing a gap in a gas turbine engine, said
assembly comprising: a plurality of blades; a plurality of spacers
interspersed between said blades; and a seal having: a first
portion fixedly attaching to one of said spacers, wherein said
first portion has a curved portion for bending around a joint or
bend of said spacer; and a second portion extending at an angle
from said first portion, said second portion having a top extending
therealong that is flat in an uninstalled position, a thickened
portion beneath said top, and a hinge, wherein said thickened
portion is disposed below said top between said hinge and an end of
said top.
14. The assembly of claim 13 wherein said seal has an installed
position wherein said second portion rotates about said hinge and
engages one of said blades.
15. The assembly of claim 13 further comprising a transition area
connecting said thickened area and said first portion, said
transition area defining said hinge.
16. The assembly of claim 13 wherein said second portion bends
about said hinge, and wherein said first portion has a first part
engaging said spacer and a second part facing said gap.
17. The assembly of claim 16 wherein the second portion moves
radially outwardly during rotation of the spacers and the blades
until the thickened area engages the second part.
Description
BACKGROUND
This invention relates to gas turbine engines. More specifically,
it relates to an assembly for bridging gaps between adjacent
airfoils in rotor or stator stages of gas turbine engines. The
invention is particularly suited to seals with circumferential
spacers in a fan stage of an engine, but it may equally well be
applied in other parts of the engine.
Conventionally a fan rotor stage in a gas turbine engine comprises
a plurality of radially extending fan blades mounted on a rotor.
The blades are mounted on the rotor by inserting the inner end of
the blade in a correspondingly shaped retention grooves disposed
about the rotor. Circumferential spacers bridge the gaps between
adjacent blades to define gas path that provides thrust for an
aircraft.
A resilient seal is placed between the circumferential spacers and
the adjacent fan blades. The seal may protrude to abut the adjacent
fan blades and seal the gaps to prevent gas from leaking between
the circumferential spacers and the blades.
A large number of seal designs are known, including solid rubber
seals, bellows seals, brush seals, compressible tube seals and
composite seals with a rubber tip. Solid rubber seals may be heavy,
the rubber tips of the composite seals are prone to debonding, and
bellows seals are prone to severe erosion because the bellows sits
close to the airstream.
SUMMARY
According to a non-limiting embodiment disclosed herein, a seal for
sealing a gap between adjacent first and second components that
form a ring, includes a first portion for attaching to the first
component and a second portion extending at an angle from the first
portion, the second portion having a top extending therealong that
is flat in an uninstalled position, a thickened portion beneath the
top and a hinge wherein the thickened portion is disposed between
the hinge and an end of the top.
In a further embodiment of any of the above claims, the seal has an
installed position wherein the second portion rotates about the
hinge for engaging the second component.
In a further embodiment of any of the above claims, the angle is
less than approximately 90.degree..
In a further embodiment of any of the above claims, the first
portion has a curved portion for bending around a joint of the
first component.
In a further embodiment of any of the above claims, a flat portion
connects the curved portion and the top.
In a further embodiment of any of the above claims, a transition
area connects the thickened area and the first portion, the
transition area defining the hinge.
In a further embodiment of any of the above claims, the second
portion bends about the hinge thereby having a first part for
engaging the second component and a second part for extending
toward the gap.
In a further embodiment of any of the above claims, the first part
moves radially outwardly during rotation of the components.
According to a second non-limiting invention, a method for sealing
gaps between a spacer and a blade that at least partially form a
ring, includes the steps of: providing a seal having a first
portion for attaching to the spacer, a second portion extending at
an angle from the first portion, the second portion having a top
extending therealong that is flat in an uninstalled position, a
thickened portion beneath the top and a hinge wherein the thickened
portion is disposed between the hinge and an end of the top;
attaching the first portion of the seal to the spacer, bending the
second portion about the hinge; and, sliding the spacer along the
blade such that the second portion abuts the blade and the second
portion faces the gap.
In a further embodiment of any of the above claims, the attaching
step includes attaching a curved portion of the first portion
around a joint or bend of the spacer.
In a further embodiment of any of the above claims, the bending
step includes bending a transition area connecting the thickened
area and the first portion, the transition area defining the
hinge.
In a further embodiment of any of the above claims, the bending
step includes bending the second portion into a first part engaging
the blade and a second part facing toward the gap.
In a further embodiment of any of the above claims, the method
includes moving the first part radially outwardly during rotation
of the blade and spacer.
According to a second non-limiting invention, an assembly for
sealing a gap in a gas turbine engine, includes a plurality of
blades, a plurality of spacers interspersed between the blades, and
a seal. The seal has a first portion fixedly attaching to the
spacer, a second portion extending at an angle from the first
portion, the second portion having a top extending therealong that
is flat in an uninstalled position, a thickened portion beneath the
top and a hinge wherein the thickened portion is disposed below the
top between the hinge and an end of the top.
In a further embodiment of any of the above claims, the seal has an
installed position wherein the second portion rotates about the
hinge and engages the blade.
In a further embodiment of any of the above claims, the first
portion has a curved portion for bending around a joint or bend of
the spacer.
In a further embodiment of any of the above claims, a transition
area connects the thickened area and the first portion, the
transition area defining the hinge.
In a further embodiment of any of the above claims, the second
portion bends about the hinge and the first portion has a first
part engaging the spacer and a second part facing the gap.
In a further embodiment of any of the above claims, the second
portion moves radially outwardly during rotation of the spacers and
the blades until the thickened area engages the second part.
The various features and advantages of this disclosure will become
apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed
description. The drawings that accompany the detailed description
can be briefly described as follows.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic, cross-sectional view of a gas turbine engine
incorporating an embodiment of a seal therein.
FIG. 2 is a schematic, perspective view of a fan ring incorporating
an embodiment of a seal therein for use with the gas turbine engine
of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a schematic, cross-sectional view of a seal in an
uninstalled state for use in the fan ring of FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 is a schematic, cross-sectional view of a seal in an
installed state in the fan ring of FIG. 2.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a gas turbine engine 10 includes a fan
section 15 including a plurality of fan (or other) blades 17, a
compressor section 20, a combustor 25 and a turbine section 30. The
example compressor section 20 includes a low pressure compressor
section 35 and a high pressure compressor section 40. The turbine
section 30 includes a high pressure turbine 45 and a low pressure
turbine 50. The high pressure compressor section 40 and the high
pressure turbine 45 are supported by a high spool 55. The low
pressure compressor section 35 and low pressure turbine 50 are
supported on a low spool 60. Spools 55 and 60 and components
attached thereto, such as fan rotor 65, rotate about a main axis A.
Air drawn in through the compressor section 20 is compressed and
fed into the combustor 25. In the combustor 25, the compressed air
is mixed with fuel and ignited to generate a high speed gas stream.
This gas stream is drives the turbine section 30. A gear box 68 may
connect the low spool 60 to the fan rotor 65.
Referring now to FIG. 2, a plurality of fan blades 17 separated by
spacers 70 is shown. In accordance with the aerodynamic
requirements of gas turbine engine 10 and the aircraft to which it
is mounted, a pattern of fan blade-spacer, fan blade-spacer
continues circumferentially around the fan rotor 65. As is known in
the art, each fan blade 17 has an airfoil 75. Each spacer 70 has an
outer arcuate surface 90 that forms a ring 95 with the other
spacers 70 that is aerodynamically spaced about axis A. Though
closely aligned, a gap 100 exists between each spacer outer arcuate
surface 90 and an adjacent blade 17. The gap 100 is sealed, as will
be discussed infra, to minimize a loss of airflow through the gas
turbine engine 10. The gap 100 may be contoured in register with
any contours of each outer arcuate surface 90 and the shape of the
blades 17. The blades 17 and spacers 70 are components that form
the ring 95. Other arrangements besides fan blade/spacer are
possible like fan blade/fan blade, etc.
Each spacer 70 has a pair of legs 110 extending radially inwardly
towards axis A. The legs 110 and the blades 17 are attached to the
fan rotor 65, typically by sliding the legs 110 and the blades 17
into complementary slots (not shown) in the fan rotor 65, as is
known in the art. A seal 115 attaches to each leg 110 of the spacer
70 to seal the gap 100 as will be discussed infra.
Referring now to FIG. 3, seal 115 in an uninstalled state is
described. The seal has an upper case gamma-shaped body 120 that is
secured along its length L.sub.1 to a leg 110. The body 120 has a
first member (or portion) 122 that extends the length L.sub.2 (See
FIG. 2) of a gap 100 and conforms basically to the shape of the leg
110 and the blade 17. The first member 122 has a curved portion 132
that allows the body 120 to bend partially around a joint 130
between outer surface 90 and leg 110.
A second member (or portion) 133 extends at a less than 90.degree.
angle from the first member 122 in an unassembled position 145. The
second member 133 has a flat top defined by portion 125 extending
from adjacent the curved portion 135 to a rounded portion 155. A
bottom 160 of the second member 133 has a thickened portion 165
between the rounded portion 155 and a curved transition area 170
(which acts as a hinge) between the bottom 160 and the elongated
body 120. The thickness between the curved transition area 170 and
the top 125 is less than the thickness of the thickened portion 165
to allow the thickness between the curved transition area 170 and
the top 125 to hinge.
The seal 115 is elastomeric with a fabric wear-resistant coating or
cover 171. Other materials may be used. For instance, the curved
transition area 170 may have a different durometer than the rest of
the seal 115 so that bending is easier about that curved transition
area 170. Additionally, if other material is sufficiently wear
resistant, the outer fabric cover 171 may be omitted
Referring now to FIG. 4, seal 115 is shown in an installed state
180 attached to a leg 110 and abutting an adjacent blade 17. The
second member 133 hinges about curved transition area 170 so that a
portion 185 of the second member 133 abuts a blade 17 and a portion
190 faces into the gap 100. The thickened portion 165 approaches
the body 120 and the curved transition area 170 bends between the
body 120 and the thickened portion 165. The portion 190
approximates the level of the arcuate surface 90 to create a smooth
transition area between the blade 17 and the spacer 70.
To install the seal 115, the body 120 is attached to one of the
legs 110 by gluing or the like. The second member 133 is bent about
the hinge 170 and, as the legs 110 are slid (aided by the fabric
cover 171) into the fan rotor 65, the portion 185 of the second
member 133 abuts and slides along blade 17 the length L.sub.2 until
the legs 110 are seated in the fan rotor 65 and the gap 100 is
filled.
During operation, as the fan rotor 65 rotates with the blades 17
and spacers 70, centrifugal force acts upon the second member 133
and urges the bent portion 185 radially outwardly along the blade
17 so that the portion 190 tends to move towards plane with the
arcuate outer surfaces 90 (see dotted lines in FIG. 4). However the
second member 133 is not pulled out of contact with the blade
because the thickened portion 165 is too stiff to allow enough
bending of the second member 133 to invert itself through the gap
100. An effective seal is thereby provided between the blades 17
and the spacers 70.
The preceding description is exemplary rather than limiting in
nature to those skilled in the art that do not necessarily depart
from the essence of this disclosure. For instance, one of ordinary
skill in the art will recognize that the teachings herein may be
utilized in other types of rotating machinery than gas turbine
engine and may be used where sealing between rotating parts in a
ring may be necessary. The scope of legal protection given to this
disclosure can only be determined by studying the following
claims.
Although the different non-limiting embodiments are illustrated as
having specific components, the embodiments of this disclosure are
not limited to those particular combinations. It is possible to use
some of the components or features from any of the non-limiting
embodiments in combination with features or components from any of
the other non-limiting embodiments.
It should be understood that like reference numerals identify
corresponding or similar elements throughout the several drawings.
It should also be understood that although a particular component
arrangement is disclosed and illustrated in these exemplary
embodiments, other arrangements could also benefit from the
teachings of this disclosure.
The foregoing description shall be interpreted as illustrative and
not in any limiting sense. A worker of ordinary skill in the art
would recognize that various modifications could come within the
scope of this disclosure. For these reasons, the following claims
should be studied to determine the true scope and content of this
disclosure.
* * * * *